Fouga Magister scale optionsFouga Magister landing gear

Fouga Magister

No longer available, this page for information only

Read note here

 

 

We started this project back in June 2000. The goal was to create a unique precision scale jet model, setting new standards in scale modelling. The model is perfectly suited for both IJMC Jet World Masters events and F4C scale competitions. We chose the scale of 1/4.5 with a wingspan of 2.7 metres giving the right size for super detailing while still allowing easy transport and handling.

The model is designed around the latest generation of 80N (18 lbs) to 100 N (22 lbs) thrust class turbines like the JetCat RX100 and the Wren 100 DCi (my personal choice). Other turbines like the Graupner G-Booster 80, the IQ Hammer 90, the EvoJet Booster 90 or the Wren 80 will work fine. These are all compact and lightweight turbines which are perfectly matched for this airframe and provide plenty of power (more than twice the thrust to weight ratio of the full size!). Another suitable turbine is definitely the Hawk 100R.

Due to the relatively small tailpipe diameter (only 62 mm), turbines with a larger exhaust nozzle diameter than the recommended turbines mentioned above are probably not suitable.

 

Design philosophy

From the beginning, it was decided not to make any concessions to scale, even if this meant a lot more work (for me, the designer).

All documented dimensions were respected to a tenth of a millimeter, resulting in outlines which are as true to scale as humanly possible. This includes the typical glider airfoil with its very thin trailing edge. All panel lines and fastener detailing is authentic. The landing gear is scale in all respects and we have taken special care to get the air intakes right.

We decided to go for a traditional kit, so with built up wings and stabs. In fact, this was the only way we could also reproduce the internal hinging of the ailerons and the scale hinging of the ruddervators (mixed rudders and elevators) with their respective counterbalances, the gear door geometry and especially the demanding fowler flap setup on curved tracks (rather than the easy to reproduce offset hinges seen on more recent full size jet trainers).

As a consequence, the model is aimed at the modeller with a minimum of experience in traditional building of flying RC models.

Although the flying surfaces are built up, assembly is straightforward because of the precision interlocking CNC routed parts. Built up is also lighter, and lighter means a better flying model. If a repair is needed, you will know how to do it. Spare parts are available. Finally, satisfaction is greater when you have built your own model.

A comprehensive set of vacformed scale details is included with the kit!

 

photograph of prototype model

 
The landing gear is designed to be fully scale. More info on the Fouga landing gear pages.
 

nose wheel, nose strut and gear door on prototype

 

All the experience of 40 years of modelling and 22 years of business were used to create this model. It would not have been possible to achieve the precision required without the modern CAD/CAM software and the CNC tools available at our workshop.

 


Early stages

 
Here are some images of the model and the way it was created. The pictures below show the building of the master and the moulds for the fuselage.

 

            

            

building stages of the fuselage moulds

         


Traditional kit

 
The Fouga Magister is offered as a traditional kit. This means that all the fuselage parts and the tiptanks are made from lightweight epoxy fibreglass strategically reinforced with carbon. All panel lines and grilles are integrally moulded as well as the most prominent rivets and fasteners.

epoxy fibreglass fuselage

 
The wings and stabs need to be built by the modeller but that's an easy task with all interlocking CNC routed parts which go together like a 3D puzzle. All ribs and spars are designed with alignment tabs so everything can be built straight and true directly on the building board. The scale 2 degree washout on the outer wing panel is automatically achieved. Building a wing has never been that easy!

The wings are sheeted with 3 mm balsa, except the area of the flaps and the ailerons which are sheeted with precision CNC cut 0,4 mm plywood. The modeller then needs to apply a durable covering to the wings, preferably a lightweight glass cloth (49 g/m2) with epoxy resin. The stabs are finished in a similar way.

 

interlocking parts with large building tabs make assembly easy

note the pinned down wood strip on the right hand side: it is a CNC cut template to hold the aft end of the ribs and subribs with flap rails at the correct angle and of course, this is included in the kit!

 

All balsa, plywood and FGB (fibreglass board) parts for the wings and stabs are precision CNC cut. Even the shear webbing (vertical grain balsa between the spruce spars) is already CNC cut to size. Only the strip wood and 3 mm balsa sheeting will need cutting to size.

With this kind of prefabrication, framing up a wing goes surprisingly fast.

 

view of a completed wing panel just before adding the bottom 3 mm balsa sheeting; all servos are installed and the leads are neatly routed through cardboard tubes which are included in the kit; additional leads for tiptank navigation lights are installed on this wing (not included)

 

Internal linkages

No concessions to scale: all linkages to the ailerons, ruddervators, flaps and airbrakes are internal, exactly as on the full size. The fowler flaps run on ball bearings inside CNC machined dural tracks. This produces exactly the same geometry as offset hinges but it is quite more difficult to reproduce. The original designers of the Fouga did not want to compromise the clean lines of the aeroplane for maximum efficiency. The geometry is indeed very complex but thanks to the interlocking CNC machined parts, the assembly is straightforward for the modeller. The hard part (designing all the parts) has been done for you!

 

            

internal aileron linkage on the left side, flap tracks with ball bearings on right side

 
The sheeting of the flaps and ailerons are CNC cut from 0.4 mm plywood and interlock on the ribs for easy positioning. This also allows the thin trailing edge of the full size to be faithfully reproduced.

 

   

flaps raised                                                      flaps lowered

 

Even the aileron compensators (servo tabs) are standard in the kit. Again, all interlocking CNC machined parts make building this characteristic scale detail a breeze.

 

servo tab on aileron

 

Scale hinging

The ruddervators (combined rudders and elevators) on the butterfly tail are hinged just as the full size.Again, the CNC cut parts make this part of the construction easy.
 

scale hinging on butterfly tail

 

Lightweight epoxy fibreglass components

The fuselage is made from epoxy fibreglass with strategic carbon reinforcements. The nose cone is moulded separately to allow easy installation of the vacformed clear section. A landing light can be added at the modellers' discretion.

The complete fuselage measures over 2,20 metres long and still, we managed to keep the weight down to only 1825 grammes! Yes, this is the weight of the complete fuselage as pictured below...

some photographs of the assembled epoxy fibreglass fuselage

 

Also the tiptanks are lightweight: approx. 95 grammes each, including the 8 mm plug in carbon shaft and the 4 mm anti rotation carbon shaft. The nose cones of the tiptanks are moulded separately to allow easy installation of the vacformed clear section. Navigation lights can be added at the modellers' discretion.

 

pair of tiptanks with carbon shafts installed

 

The clear epoxy fibreglass internal fuel tanks are approx. 95 grammes each, including the aluminium neck for the fittings.The capacity is 1400 ml each, so the total capacity including central auxiliary tank (480 ml) and hopper tank (120 ml) is 3,5 litres, which is plenty for this low drag airframe. The fuel tanks are very close to the Centre of Gravity, so no trim changes are needed following fuel burn off.

 

pair of internal fuel tanks, capacity each 1400 ml

 

Carbon reinforcements

Carbon reinforcements are strategically placed to combine strength with a minimum of weight.

forward fuselage carbon tape reinforcements

 

nose section carbon tape reinforcements

 

carbon cloth reinforcements are applied in the area of the scale vent holes and air scoop holes (to avoid weakening of the fuselage structure when cut out)

 

carbon cloth reinforcement in the area where the butterfly tail attaches to the tail section

 

main hatch carbon roving reinforcements (similar reinforcements on nose hatch, forward canopy and aft canopy)

 

overview of all the gray gelcoated epoxy fibreglass parts in the kit

 

Surface detailing on epoxy fibreglass components

All panel lines, grilles and the the most prominent rivets and fasteners are integrally moulded in the surface of the epoxy fibreglass components.

Every surface detail has been thoroughly researched and measured from the full size. On the model, they are the correct scale size and have been placed in the correct scale location. This kind of precision is seldom seen in the model jet industry!

 

panel line and grille detail on the aft canopy section

 

panel line and fastener detail on right hand intake section

 

panel line, grille and fastener detail on nose

 

panel line and rivet detail around canopy frames

 

panel line and rivet detail on fuselage bottom

 

panel line, scale vent holes and fastener detail on aft fuselage

 

Vacformed scale details

 

The kit contains an extensive set of vacformed scale details. Again, every detail has been thoroughly researched and measured from the full size. Other manufacturers will be happy with providing lookalike details. Our detail set is fully authentic in shape and size!

 

overview of all the vacformed parts included with the kit (shown here already cut and assembled)

 

vacformed details on top of aft fuselage trial fit...

... and finished installation

 

vacformed details on top of forward fuselage trial fit...

... and finished installation

 

pitot and windshield de-icer details trial fit...

... and finished installation of pitot and windshield de-icer details

 

vacformed details on bottom of aft fuselage

 

engine cooling scoops

 

ruddervator counterbalances

 

plenty of scale details!

 

Air intakes true to scale

This is an area where others usually get it wrong. The air intakes should have a nice rounded edge, called intake lip and this is faithfully reproduced on our model. The full size Fouga has a splitter plate to capture the boundary layer air. This air is then vented through slots on the top and bottom of each air intake. These slots are also authentically reproduced. This kind of scale fidelity was only possible by moulding the air intakes separately.

 

air intake on first production fuselage (splitter plate not yet installed)

 

finished air intake on first prototype fuselage with splitter plate and intake liner installed

 

Ease of transport

During the design stages, it was decided to make this Fouga model easy to transport, so all flying surfaces are completely removable.

The wings are one piece panels from fuselage to tiptank and use 35 mm dural tube plug in joiners. The tiptanks are removable as well. A couple of air line quick disconnects take care of the pneumatic connection issues associated with wing mounted retracts.

The stabs (butterfly tail) are plug in using 16 mm dural tube joiners.  The entire tail section of the fuselage including the tailpipe is removable for transport as well. Only six screws need loosening and two servo leads need disconnecting and the tail section comes off.

 

Opening canopies

All the hardware is included for the opening canopies. They are manually opened, just as on the full size. The locking mechanism is a simple but secure system.
 

Fouga model with canopies in the open position

 

Kit contents (PA600)

Below some pictures of the kit contents. You can go to the full description here.

overview of complete Fouga Magister kit contents

 

CNC cut plywood parts pack

 

bifurcated stainless steel tailpipe

 

complete fuel tank set

 

hardware pack

 

flap rails CNC machined from aluminium

 

aft former with female stab phenolic tubes factory installed

 

Full description of kit contents:

Epoxy fibreglass fuselage parts (gray gelcoat primer finish):
  • forward fuselage section, wing anti rotation pins fitted, carbon reinforced

  • aft fuselage section, carbon reinforced, rear former installed

  • left hand air intake section, wing anti rotation pin fitted

  • right hand air intake section, wing anti rotation pin fitted

  • left hand intake liner

  • right hand intake liner

  • intake boundary layer splitter plates

  • nose hatch, carbon reinforced

  • front canopy frame, carbon reinforced

  • aft canopy frame, carbon reinforced

  • main hatch, carbon reinforced

  • left hand tip tank, carbon alignment rods installed

  • right hand tip tank, carbon alignment rods installed

  • fuselage tail cone

  • fuselage nose cone

  • tip tank nose cones (2 ea.)

CNC cut plywood & balsa parts:
  • complete set of CNC cut plywood & balsa parts for fuselage, wings and stabs

  • balsa and spruce strip wood for wings and stabs

  • 3 mm balsa sheeting for wings

  • 1,5 mm balsa sheeting for stabs

  • CNC cut 0,4 mm plywood sheeting for wings and stabs

CNC cut fibreglass board (FGB) and carbon sheet
  • complete set of CNC cut FGB for fuselage, wings and stabs

  • complete set of CNC cut carbon sheet for fuselage, wings and stabs

Tailpipe:
  • stainless steel bifurcated tailpipe with stainless steel bellmouth

Vacformed parts:
  • clear forward canopy

  • clear aft canopy

  • clear fuselage nose cone lens

  • 2 ea. clear tip tank nose cone lens

  • 3 ea. scale details sheets

Fuel system hardware:
  • pair of epoxy glass conformal fuel cells, capacity 1400 ml each

  • 480 ml (16 oz) central tank

  • 120 ml (4 oz) hopper tank

  • fuel fittings hardware

  • heavy duty clunks

  • fuel tubing

  • T-connectors

  • fuel line clips

Other hardware:
  • wing plug in hardware (35 mm diameter anodised aluminium)

  • stab plug in hardware (16 mm diameter anodised aluminium)

  • cardboard tubes for servo lead extensions

  • complete set of specialised screws, nuts and bolts

  • scale internal flap linkage system with CNC machined aluminium tracks and 24 ball bearings

  • scale internal aileron linkage system

  • scale resin cast stab and elevator tip fairings

Manuals and plans:
  • full size plan to build wings and stabs

  • photo-illustrated step-by-step manual and fuselage drawings on CD

 

Fouga Magister landing gear

For more details on the Fouga landing gear options, click here.

 
  • PA604 retracts set (2 main retracts, 1 nose retract and 1 tail bracket)
  • PA605 set of scale oleo struts (2 main struts, 1 nose strut and wheel axles)
  • PA606 set of scale wheels, tyres and brakes (2 main, 1 nose, 1 tail wheel, brakes and brake pneumatic support set)
  • PA608A pneumatic support set type A (all pneumatics necessary to operate scale landing gear and doors + moulded doors + hardware)
  • PA608B pneumatic support set type B (all pneumatics necessary to operate the scale landing gear only, no doors)
  • PA620 3D printed scale detail set (for landing gear and cockpit)

Fouga Magister scale and other accessories

For more details on the Fouga scale options, click here.

  • PA609 airbrakes kit
  • PA610 replacement clear front canopy section (supplied with airframe kits)
  • PA611 replacement clear aft canopy section (supplied with airframe kits)
  • PA612 replacement vacformed scale details (supplied with airframe kits)
  • PA620 3D printed scale detail set (for landing gear and cockpit)
  • PA614 cockpit interior kit
  • PA615 waterslide decal set MT-48 solo display
  • PA616 vinyl lettering set upgrade MT-48 solo display
  • PA617 vinyl insignia set upgrade MT-48 solo display
  • PA618 combo waterslide and vinyl set MT-48 solo display

Specifications

Scale:

  1/4.5
Length:   2235 mm (88 inches)
Wingspan:   2698 mm (106 1/4 inches)
Weight:   11 to 13 kg (25 to 30 lbs)
Suitable Thrust Class:   80 to 100 N (18 to 22 lbs)

 


Fouga Magister scale optionsFouga Magister landing gear
 

Philip Avonds Scale Jets

Doornhofstraat 6
B-8670 Koksijde
Belgium
Phone: +32-58-514451
e-mail: info@avonds.com